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Chai...anyone else enjoy it?

I've been drinking chai now for about 5 years. It's now become my favorite way of enjoying tea, but because of the work involved of preparing it on the stove I don't make it an everyday thing. But still, it's a wonderful drink. Sweet, spicy, wonderfully warming, and it's great for a sore throat.

The best way to have it is of course to prepare it yourself, but I also have to give props to the Tazo Chai concentrate stuff. When I first tried it I was skeptical but it quickly proved me wrong. It tastes very close to authentic chai, and when I have it in the house I tend to drink it every morning, except when I make my own chai on weekends.

I am a chai drinker too ! I mostly make it on weekends particularly when the weather is cold. I follow a very simplified approach.

Soy milk in a sauce pan + chai (tea leaves and spices - adjust according to preference). I like getting my chai's here. Slowly heat to avoid milk over boiling (I generally stir with a wooden spoon). When the mixture has reached a low-boil point where the leaves are moving around (without over-flowing of course), I consider that the cruise control point. I let the low-boil continue until the mixture gets a dark color. That can take 8 to 10 minutes. Usually, I actively monitor the whole process. Seeing the opened leaves moving around in the soy milk is a good sign it is ready to be consumed. This takes all and all about 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish. Add sugar if desired.

I know there are many different ways of preparing it. My sister-in-law showed me one where water is boil, tea leaves + spices are added and boiled for a bit. Milk or cream is added and then the whole mixture is re-boiled again. I heard there a recipes that can take all afternoon to make. Like many popular recipes (pasta sauces comes to mind), every (South Asian) family has their own recipes and way of preparing it. It is all good !

I've tried a lot of different ways of preparing it,adjusting boiling/simmer times, etc. There's a lot of different viewpoints on how many times you boil the mix, how long you simmer, the ratio of water to milk/tea to spice, etc. But most of the time I fall back on this simple procedure:

1 tblsp tea
1 tblsp chai spice
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk

Boil tea and spices, then reduce heat and let steep for 5 minutes (or let simmer), add milk and boil again till just before it rises. Then strain it and sweeten to taste. This makes a couple of servings.

I've tried a lot of different ways of preparing it,adjusting boiling/simmer times, etc. There's a lot of different viewpoints on how many times you boil the mix, how long you simmer, the ratio of water to milk/tea to spice, etc. But most of the time I fall back on this simple procedure:

1 tblsp tea
1 tblsp chai spice
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup milk

Boil tea and spices, then reduce heat and let steep for 5 minutes (or let simmer), add milk and boil again till just before it rises. Then strain it and sweeten to taste. This makes a couple of servings.